Artistic Differences
by magisterquinn
Summary: [AU] This was his big chance to make it big, with the campus' most talented actor and most gifted writer working under him, nothing could go wrong. Unless it was those very 2 pros that turn con. RobxRae BBxTerra


**Author's Note: So to whoever may know what I'm talking about, this is what I was working on.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Teen Titans.**

* * *

**Dramatis Personae**

"But wait! You cannot run from me this way, not from us. Not from our love."

"I'm not running!"

"Yes you are… Look at me, look at me and tell me there is nothing there."

"There is…"

"… And they share a kiss there. Simple right?" Dick sat with his elbows propped up on the oblong table, eagerly awaiting the response from his actors. This was their first table reading and he prayed to God that it would be as simple as this. Around the table sat the primary cast, their costume/set designer, playwright and the two producers.

"I don't know, Dick," Gar Logan put down his script in front of him. Gar was cast in the role of Esyphian, the male lead. He was an excellent actor and by far the most experienced member of the production and, fortunately for Dick, for some reason too interest in this production without even reading the script. Gar Logan was the most wanted man on campus not just because of his prime acting skills but because of his appropriate movie star good looks.

"This dialogue…" Gar scratched his head, his face contorted to one of displeasure at the script.

"What about the dialogue?" came the sassy voice of Raven Roth, the playwright. Dick put his face in his hands and braced himself for the incoming explosion. Raven was as hard headed as they got. She took her work seriously and expected other people to do so as well. No one ever criticized her work, no one.

"It doesn't feel real, it's awkward to say." No one alive, that is.

"Real? Well it is set in ancient Greece, if you know better than I how they talked then by all means, modify your script." Gar glared at her from his casual position, leaning back on the chair, arm slung over the back and his other hand playing with the pages of the script, as if unaffected by her words. She on the other hand had her arms crossed firmly across her chest, defiantly licking her teeth with her mouth closed.

"I'm just saying that it's going to be hard to deliver a believable performance if the audience has to decode what they're saying."

"Well then you must not be a very good actor."

Gar jumped from his seat and slammed his hands on the table, "Marlon freaking Brando couldn't make dialogue like this feel real! And what would you know about writing dialogue for theatre anyway? Are you the one who has been in productions since you were 8?"

Raven got up, mirroring his stance, "I know plenty about writing dialogue! At least I can write, if it were up to you the script would be 'I love you' 'I love you back, times infinity'" She turned as she mimicked the dialogue, her hands clasped under her chin, turning from side to side as if talking to her self. Gar fumed before opening his mouth to speak when Dick interrupted him.

"Okay, so where did we stop? End of scene 3? That's over half the play done," he got up as well trying to relieve the glares the two were sending each other from across the table, "I think we should finish this some other time, what do you think?"

"No, I think they should finish it," stated Raven not once easing her glower at Gar.

"Yeah, I think we should," agreed Gar, unwavering himself. Both stared the other down, neither wanting to be the first to sit, both wanting to finish the reading to prove the other wrong.

The rest hadn't gone well at all and Dick sat there the entire time glancing over at Gar and Raven sending each other angry looks across the table. Esyphian's lines were delivered bitterly no matter how sweet the words were such that they all sounded exaggerated and sarcastic. The role of his love interest, Lina, was played by Tara Markov watched the action silently unfold in front of her, a hand on Gar's arm calming him down. Raven interrupted once at Gar's mispronunciation of a word and was about to interrupt again at the emphasis of another when Dick grabbed her arm and shushed her.

At the end, he watched as Gar stormed out of the room and sighed heavily. This was going to be a long 8 months.

* * *

Gar cursed as he left the reading room, his girlfriend trailing closely. 

"Come on, B, why are you so worked up over this?" asked Tara grabbing his arm in attempt not to fall behind. He kissed his teeth, aggressively clicking the unlock button on the car remote.

He opened the door and got in, waiting for her, his hands firmly gripping the wheel.

"What right does she have? What right!?" he bellowed as she got in the car, "Seriously, I'm not some no-name actor, but here comes prancing this ridiculous writer who thinks she knows what's more believable than an actor!" The car jerked out of the parking lot, Gar's eyes fixed on the road, glaring at passing cars.

"Really what does she know about dialogue anyways, all writers are the same, shut-in loner freaks with little to no contact with real people," he swerved as Tara held onto her seat, clinging to the faux leather as if it would get him to slow down.

"I mean sorry that I've worked with some of the best up and coming playwrights in this country! You'd think a little respect should come my way." He revved his engine at a stop, his eyes in slits as he pictured Raven standing in front of his car.

"And the nerve of her, criticising my acting as if she could do better. Ha! That makes me laugh, I'd love to see _her_ act," he honked his horn at a turning car and continued down the road at least 20 km over the speed limit.

"I can do much better than this anyway! They should be singing praises at me for-"

"Then why do it, Gar?" interrupted Tara, obviously fed up with his attitude and unnecessary ranting. "Why even bother with this mini production?" He sighed as they pulled into the driveway of their residence. Gar turned quiet and the anger in his eyes died down.

He turned to her, "I just- I need to do this. I guess we can call this episode 'The Trials and Tribulations of Gar Logan'," he gave her a faint smile and she kissed his cheek gently.

"Well, 'trials and tribulations' are right with you having to deal with that Raven Roth. She's a hell kitten, I can see why you get so frustrated. She just seems to know how to get under your skin." Gar eyes stared off as he scoffed at the thought. He turned the engine off and motioned for them to get out.

"Think of it this way, B," she said as she fumbled for the keys in her purse, "you'll be teaching her a lesson, theatre etiquette 101."

* * *

Dick grabbed Raven's arm before she could leave the theatre. 

"What the hell has gotten into you?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and sighed, she couldn't believe she was getting a lecture.

"Seriously, Rae, stop it. You know you can't piss him off. If he walks out of this production the producers'll walk," he laid both of his hands on her shoulders, turning her and forcing her to look at him.

"I need this production, you know that."

She gave a sigh and cupped his cheek, "Yes, I know," and pecked him discretely on the lips. He smiled and turned to grab his jacket and satchel off the table. She began to walk away and he trailed behind her.

"Okay, what's for lunch? Pizza sound good?"

"No, it feels like all we eat is pizza. Let's get Chinese," she suggested. They walked out of the drama arts department building and made their way to the bus stop.

Raven sighed as she looked down the road, searching for the resident bus in the horizon. She shivered slightly and buttoned up her jacket more, crossing her arms for warmth.

Dick went over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "He really gets on your nerves, huh?"

She shuddered, but not because of the wind, "Yes, he is an annoying idiot. He wouldn't know good writing if it bit him on his pretty little nose. I bet he can't even really read and get his lines dictated to him and he repeats it like some performance monkey."

He laughed at her annoyance; she got annoyed easily by stupid people but never this quickly. She sighed and turned around wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Okay, I'll play nice. I swear."

He kissed her on the nose, "You know, you don't have to be there for rehearsals and such. Just today and when the show mounts. Your job is pretty much done."

"No, I wanna see the process," she raised an eyebrow at him, "And besides, I wanna make sure you're doing my writing justice." He laughed and pulled away, reaching in his pocket for the bus pass, as the white and grey college bus pulled up to the curve.

Raven flashed her pass and listlessly stepped onto the bus, her movements melancholic and slight. Dick just followed not noticing her sudden change of demeanour. She had already made her way to the back sitting on the window side of a two-seater, her head turned towards the road when he finally caught up, wrapping his arm automatically around her shoulder pulling her in, unaware of the slight resistance.

* * *

Dick was a third year drama major at Jump University. Ever since he saw the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway as a kid, the imagery and the way everything fit nicely like a puzzle, he knew he wanted to become a director. Struggling through high school as the 'fruity drama boy' and through the competitive world of university, Dick finally got his chance to break big with this production. Sure everyone else had ample opportunities to direct productions in university, but this was a big deal and a lot of people pulled a lot of strings to get this in the works. His uncle especially, who had met a few producers at a party and casually slipped in that his nephew was a heck of a director and wanted a shot at the big times. So this was a big deal, plus it's not everyday or every director that got Gar Logan to be in his production. 

And he could think of no other writer than his girl, Raven. She was an amazing writer who was published, sort of. Well she was published at a few student anthologies and a few literary magazines that buzzed around the city and only the elite writing community read. But she was going to be big, he just knew it. Given she had never written for a play before, he was sure that she would be up for the task and would come up with a brilliant script. And it was just that, a great story with great character dynamics. He just couldn't tell her that it was perhaps _not_ for theatre.

Gar saw that of course and picked it up right away, taking advantage of it. Dick was so grateful that he could do it, he was the first choice of the producers, that he would do anything to keep him in the company. Although he couldn't figure out why Gar and Raven had been at each other's throats immediately. It felt as if the moment they were introduced they hated each other for no reason, Gar incapable of getting over his own pride to take direction from an 'amateur' for once and Raven unable to get off her high horse of writing and giving that 'idiot of an actor' a chance. They were both so ridiculously stubborn it's a wonder why they didn't notice how much they had in common.

But no matter, he could make it work. Despite all of the obstacles that stood in his way the 8 runs this show would have would be the greatest 8 runs a student production ever saw. He would just have to survive dealing with Gar and Raven.

* * *

**A/N: I said I wouldn't, but I did, and I have. I'm starting a non-oneshot simply because I can. This story plays to my strengths and knowledge in theatre as well as the inner workings of theatre so it's pretty close to a situation that might happen. I think its a bit too gloomy for now, but it shall pick up I promise you.**


End file.
